Two fans who were ejected at Yankee Stadium in a blatant and bizarre case of fan interference during a Game 4 of the World Series won't be allowed to attend what could be the decisive game Wednesday night in New York.
The fans in the front row of seats along the right field foul line could be seen attempting to pry the baseball from the glove of Mookie Betts after he leaped near the wall and caught a fly ball in foul territory off the bat of New York's Gleyber Torres. One fan in a Yankees jersey could be seen trying to open Betts' glove as another wearing sunglasses grabbed the right-fielder's arm.
The ball eventually was pried loose, but Torres was immediately called out on fan interference. In a statement issued Wednesday, the Yankees called the behavior "egregious and unacceptable physical contact" and said the two fans will not be allowed to attend Game 5 at Yankee Stadium.
"Last night two fans were ejected from Yankee Stadium for egregious and unacceptable physical contact with Dodgers outfielder Mookie Betts," the Yankees said in the statement. "The safety and security of players, fans and Stadium staff is the foundational element of every event held at Yankee Stadium, and it cannot be compromised.
Get Tri-state area news delivered to your inbox.> Sign up for NBC New York's News Headlines newsletter.
"Tonight marks the final home game of year, and we want every ounce of our fans’ passion on display. Yankee Stadium is known for its energy and intensity, however the exuberance of supporting one’s team can never cross the line into intentionally putting players at physical risk.
"The Yankees and Major League Baseball maintain a zero-tolerance policy toward the type of behavior displayed last night. These fans will not be permitted to attend tonight’s game in any capacity.”
Betts was asked about the play after the game.
"When it comes to the person in play, it doesn’t matter," Betts said. "We lost. It’s irrelevant. I’m fine. He's fine. Everything’s cool. We lost the game and that’s what I’m kind of focused on. We got to turn the page and get ready for tomorrow."
ESPN identified one of the fans as a 38-year-old season-ticket holder, who said in an interview that he and the fan with him discussed such a scenario.
"We always joke about the ball in our area," the fan said at a bar after the game, ESPN reported. "We're not going to go out of our way to attack. If it's in our area, we're going to 'D' up.
"Someone defends, someone knocks the ball. We talk about it. We're willing to do this."
The unusual scene played out in the first inning with the Dodgers up 2-0 behind another Freddie Freeman home run and on the verge of a World Series sweep, but the Yankees stormed back to win 11-4.
"The fans were escorted out of Yankee Stadium following the incident and ejected," a team spokesperson said in a statement.
It was just that latest case of fans becoming involved in the field of play during the postseason and the second involving Torres, who hit a fly ball to to the outfield in Dodger Stadium that was caught by a fan who reached over the wall. The play was ruled a double.
Game 2 of the National League Divisional Series was halted for several minutes after fans threw a baseball, empty water bottles, trash and other items on the outfield.
The Dodgers have a second chance to close out the series in Game 5 Wednesday night in New York. A win would give the Dodgers their eighth World Series title.
